The international president of Leadership International Ministerial Academy, Apostle Dr. Emmanuel Etuk, has said the primary goal of the institute is to equip every Christian with the word of God so they can make an impact in their immediate community.
He made the submission at the graduation ceremony of the institute in Lagos on March 26.
Impact making
Etuk said, “What we do at Lima is to make sure we equip the everyday believer with the substantial knowledge of God’s word, how to live their lives, and also how to lead their generation. I believe that we didn’t just give our lives to Christ just to be normal citizens. We gave our life to Christ just to lead. That is why we are servants. One of the trademarks of Lima is servant leadership. We teach our students to be servant-driven when it comes to leadership.”
While declaring the graduation ceremony as a transformational moment, Etuk said, “It means a lot seeing people progress in their work with God through adequate knowledge.”
Curriculum of the academy
He explained that the curriculum of the academy is based on proven principles from God’s word adding however that some suitable secular principles are incorporated into it.
“For example, when it comes to the leadership transformational journey, it is multicultural and it is also international in the sense that most people that join LIMA don’t just come from one background, they come from different cultures. So, we have to integrate some multicultural aspects of leadership for us to be able to reach the heartbeat of these leaders in the society.”
Etuk noted that culture has a great influence on every society. “Culture plays a significant role in moving leaders from the grassroots to the top. What we do is that we don’t just prepare the everyday believer for the things of God alone, we also prepare them to fit into the society.”
L-R Apostle Daniel Olalekan Odejimi (LIMA National Director Nigeria) International president, Apostle Dr Emmanuel Etuk, Rev Rakem Singh (LIMA intrenational V/President and Bishop Samuel Wealth (LIMA presiding Bishop) at the event
Honorary degrees
On how the school identifies those given honorary degrees, he said “We identify them first based on the principles of merit. For example, you should have been impactful to your generation, you should have contributed something tangible to the society, you should have made some changes in the society.
“That is what applies. We also identify these individuals based on their years of experience, their effort, and their labour in their specific fields. We are driven by the admonition of the Bible that we should give honour to whom the honour is due.”
He told the participants that education is a lifelong process. “What you learned yesterday might not be relevant today, so we need to update. We need to relearn and learn more for us to be relevant in the present-day society.”
LIMA International President, Apostle Emmanuel Etuk with the Vice President Rev Rakem Singh presenting certificate to one of the graduands
Manpower development
Also talking at the event, the Vice President of the Academy, Rev. Rakem Singh, who is from Durban, South Africa said the “aim of the academy is to establish, develop and empower leadership throughout the world. That’s our force, that’s our strength and that’s what we wish to be able to accomplish. “
Singh who has been in ministry for over 36 years said LIMA has a global reach. “I think the very fact that it has a function of this magnitude is worth celebrating. It shows the capacity and the strength that the leadership is spreading out.
“The network has tremendous capacity with men of stature, great ability, and men that have made significant moves in their nations.
He said the academy will continue to establish and develop more through training and the equipping of indigenous pastors worldwide.
Only a few organizations according to him are committed to developing and leaving a legacy. “The heartbeat of the international president is to develop the next generation of leaders, especially young people so there is significant contribution in the different spheres of life. Lima is committed to raising a new breed and a new genre of leaders all together that will impact and empower the world through the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and ensuring God’s kingdom is established on earth.” He said.